Take On Me
by Cwarnic93
Summary: Temptation: the greatest downfall of women. Can Pandora stop herself from giving into temptation, or will she defy everything she knows to be with the man who claims that he loves her? Embry/OC.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**  
><em>

**May, 1989**

Charlie Swan looked down at the miniscule newborn in his arms; her eyes shut tightly as if she were having a nightmare. The town of Forks, Washington, being the small town that it was, had already been informed of the death of this newborn's mother. Evangeline Maynard had died whilst giving birth to her daughter; the father not being present during the pregnancy or birth. Once the hospital had been informed of the orphan's situation, they had tracked down the closest family member; it was Charlie's responsibility to deliver the baby.

The pale blue shutters looked as though they would fall off of the house at any second, the roof not looking any better in condition. Charlie looked upon the house and back down at the newborn.

"You're gonna do just fine, kid." Charlie tapped the baby's nose and her eyes flew open, her mouth open wide in an 'O' shape. The baby's grayish blue eyes shocked Charlie, him having expected them to be a dark color like her mother's.

Taking slow, careful steps, Charlie finally arrived at the front door and rang the doorbell. A few mumbled curses and footsteps occurred before the door swung open. Theresa Solis looked at Charlie then to the baby in his arms.

"Officer Swan, what a pleasant surprise." Theresa stated bitterly, noting that it was nearly midnight.

Theresa Solis was the last person Charlie wanted to leave the baby with, having known Theresa since high school. Theresa's thin brown hair was pulled back into a bun, a small pair of glasses sitting on the tip of her rounded nose. Theresa's brother had been the one to get Evangeline pregnant before he left.

"I'm sure that you've heard about Evangeline by now," Charlie started as he looked at the strict woman, watching while she nodded as an answer. "Evangeline's family can't be tracked down."

"So I'm stuck with the brat?" Theresa asked, narrowing her eyes at the child. Charlie's reasoning for not trusting Theresa had officially been backed up.

"Not necessarily, she could be put into foster care or in the care of someone else." Theresa flicked her wrist as if it were no big deal.

"I'll do it. I'd rather know that my niece isn't going to grow up to be some hussy." Theresa's younger brother stepped into view, looking at his niece in Charlie's arms.

"Was she Evangeline's?" Ian asked, taking the baby from Charlie's arms. Ian was the one that Charlie had trusted the baby with, not Theresa.

"Yeah, the whore left her to me." Theresa stated in an irritated voice. Ian glared at his older sister and rocked the baby, laughing when she gurgled happily.

"What's her name?" Charlie took out the baby's birth certificate and handed it over to Ian.

_Pandora Eris Maynard, born May 2__nd__, 1989 at 10:26PM._

Ian looked up at Charlie and smiled, swinging Pandora calmly in his arms. "She'll be fine here, Charlie. Theresa won't have much of an influence over her if I have anything to say about it."

"Looks to me as if she's in safe hands already," Charlie nodded and stepped away from the house.

Theresa shut the door and went back to her book, sliding a cigarette into her mouth. Ian shook his head at his sister's attitude and slowly went up the stairs, making sure to be careful.

"You have her nose," Ian whispered as he held Pandora closer to himself, "And his eyes. You'll grow up to be beautiful, Pandora."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I'll be awaiting feedback on this story before I post any additional chapters.  
>I want to make sure that people like it, otherwise I won't continue with it.<p>

So please, give me as much feedback as you can! ( :

-Cwarnic93


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1:_

**Late October, 2006**

The infamous Forks weather upheld its reputation, rain sprinkling onto the citizens who left for work/school. The small, run-down blue house with missing shutters hadn't changed much in the last seventeen years. Theresa sat in her recliner, smoking a cigarette, and watching Wheel of Fortune on TV. Ian was asleep in his room upstairs, having worked overtime at the garage the previous night. Seventeen year-old Pandora stood in front of her full-body mirror, staring at her reflection in a condescending manner.

The thin young woman had long legs that were covered by a knee-length pleated skirt, having been forced into wearing the skirt by her aunt. An average sized bust was hidden behind her argyle sweater vest and button-up blouse. Wincing when she noticed her large feet, Pandora's line of sight made its way up her body, and finally landed on her facial features. The young woman had acquired her father's square jaw, her mother's uneven lips, a long, flat nose, and her father's blue eyes that shown a silvery color.

Pandora swung her dull, lifeless brown hair across her shoulder and combed through with her fingers. Flicking her eyes over to the clock, Pandora took notice of the time.

"You're going to be late," Ian grumbled as he stood in Pandora's doorway. Pandora jumped at her uncle's sudden appearance, but grabbed her backpack without a second thought.

"I know!" Pandora rushed, slipping into her flats. Ian pulled his car keys out of his back pocket and jingled them in front of Pandora.

"Take Morty," Ian offered.

Silver eyes widened as Pandora stared at him in awe, "I can't take Morty! He's your pride and joy!" Ian laughed and threw the keys to Pandora, watching as she barely caught them.

"Just take care of him, will ya'?" Pandora nodded and clasped the keys tightly in her hands, smiling to herself.

Ian watched as Pandora slid past him and went down the stairs. Theresa ignored Pandora's existence as the latter left the house. Pandora let out a sigh, relieved that her aunt hadn't yelled at her for running late. The cherry red '82 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am caught Pandora's attention, forcing a huge grin on her face.

The car purred to life as Pandora twisted the key in the ignition. Turning up the stereo, Pandora let out a laugh as New Kids on The Block played; NKOTB was her uncle's guilty pleasure.

::

Arriving at school with time to spare, Pandora let out a huge sigh and stepped out of Morty. A few students were awestruck by the sudden appearance of Morty, having never seen the car before.

"Nice," one of the Cullens shouted, catching Pandora's attention. Like most of the other students, Pandora was intrigued by the Cullens. Something about them was off: they all shared the same pale skin tone and golden eye color. Emmett had been the one to throw out the comment, causing Pandora's face to flush.

Not knowing what to do, Pandora just nodded and continued to walk away. Interacting socially was not one of Pandora's skills. Being socially inept was actually her biggest attribute.

First period for Pandora was Mythology, taken for the extra credits, which her teacher thought was ironic. Mr. Gray always made comments to Pandora when they covered a new piece in Greek Mythology.

Angela Weber took her seat next to Pandora and offered the girl a smile, having it reciprocated.

"Ian let you borrow his car?" Angela wondered in her quiet voice.

"You saw that?" Pandora asked softly, wincing as Mr. Gray started to write on the chalkboard.

"I'm pretty sure the whole school did." Pandora lowered her head; had she known that taking Ian's car would've brought attention, she'd have rather walked and been late. "It's probably not as bad as you're thinking, Andy."

"Any attention is bad." Pandora ignored the nickname Angela was using in an attempt to calm her.

"You just need to-"

"Attention class!" Mr. Gray interrupted the talking students, "all faces turned here!" Pandora and Angela both turned to the front of the room, taking out their books. "This week we will be going over the humans who played a big part in Greek Mythology." Pandora mentally groaned, knowing where this was leading: "Caenis, who became Caeneus by the hand of Poseidon, one of the few known transgender myths; and the infamous Pandora who couldn't resist the temptation of opening that box." The class snickered and all turned to Pandora.

"Would you be able to handle the temptation, Mr. Gray?" One of the students from the back asked.

Pandora chose this as her moment to be a smart ass, "Had you been given a box that could possibly contain anything you imagine, would _you _be able to keep it closed?" Angela hid her smile by letting her hair fall in front of her face, while Mr. Gray laughed and nodded in agreement with Pandora.

"She has a point, Mr. Stone." Pandora smiled in victory, maybe it was finally the end of the jokes. "Did Eve resist biting into that forbidden fruit? Each religion has a different theory, but temptation was the biggest downfall for these women."

::

Pandora sat alone at lunch, biting into an apple as she read her book. A tray slammed onto the table, the bottle of water tipping over and rolling to Pandora. Pandora picked up the bottle, sat it upright, and handed it back to its owner.

Elaine stood, waiting for Pandora to look up from the book. Pandora finally looked over the top of the book, noticing the glare her friend was giving her.

"What?" Pandora asked, taking a large bite of her apple.

"Ian let you borrow his car and you didn't give me a ride?" Elaine hissed, placing her hands on her hips.

Elaine was the eccentric one of the duo, her motto consisting of "shock and awe." Elaine was of Quileute descent, but her parents had moved to Forks so Elaine would attend a better high school. Her silky brown hair, brown eyes, and natural tan skin shown her relation to the tribe; one thing that set Elaine away from the others was the array of freckles across her nose and forehead.

"I didn't know that he was planning on giving me the car today," Pandora answered as Elaine sat down across from her. Elaine rolled her eyes and popped open the bag of chips on her tray, crunching a few in the process.

"Sure," the word was muffled as Elaine crunched the chip in her mouth. "So the old man is forcing me to go to the tribe meeting tomorrow…" Pandora's eyes flicked up to Elaine's fake-innocent smile.

"No," Pandora whispered as she shook her head. Elaine made a noise in protest, wiggling in her seat.

"C'mon, Andy!" Elaine was known for being persistent, just like Pandora for being stubborn. Pandora shook her head more forcefully, ignoring Elaine's gaze. "You just need to come with me, sit for five minutes, and then we bounce."

"I'm not intruding on your Quileute stories; I refuse to be an uninvited guest who ruins everything." Elaine's eyes narrowed in on Pandora.

"You're going, because afterward…" Elaine smirked, "we're going to the beach for a party."

"Are you _trying _to kill me?" Pandora hissed.

"Of course not! I'm trying to make you more sociable." Elaine persisted, "it's not optional, and you're going."

Pandora shook her long hair in front of her face, taking a huge bite of the apple. The sound of the apple caused Elaine to twitch.

"Must you chew so loudly?" Elaine grunted, flicking a pea from her plate toward Pandora.

"Sorry," Pandora blushed, hiding her face behind her hand. Elaine smirked to herself, popped a tater tot into her mouth, and thought up a plan inside of her head. There had to be _some way_ she could fix shy little Pandora.


	3. Chapter 2

"Yo' Ian!" Jesse Sweeney shouted as the bell above the door rung, signaling a customer. "We got a customer!" Pandora walked in, dropped her bag, slid out of the argyle sweater vest, and fell down into the receptionist's chair.

"It's just me, Sweeney." Pandora shouted back, half expecting Jesse to not retort.

"You're late," Jesse stated as he walked out from inside the garage, wiping his oil covered hands with a rag.

Pandora rubbed her lips together and nodded, straightening herself in the chair. Jesse was the boss and owner of the garage, if Pandora messed up – it was him that she had to face.

"I'm just kiddin'; I understand that you have schooling that needs 'ta be done." Jesse's Brooklyn accent and improper grammar caused him to be the expected 'garage employee.'

Jesse, or 'Sweeney' as Pandora called him, was the typical heartthrob. He had dark green eyes that could make any girl swoon, thick, greasy hair that was always slicked back, and a tall, lean figure with notable muscles. Jesse was also twenty-eight, something that Pandora reminded herself of everyday.

"I'll make sure to be here on time tomorrow." Pandora assured Jesse, leaning down to press the power button on the computer's tower.

"Nu' uh, your friend Elaine already talked to me. You're going with her ta'morrow night, no excuses. You need to get out more, kiddo." Pandora winced at the word 'kiddo.'

Being treated like a child, even a being called a term that describes a child, is something that Pandora doesn't enjoy. She works her ass to the bone to be treated like an adult, but she never gets what she deserves. Pandora tried to forget that Jesse had used the term and put on a fake smile.

"'_Thank you for the night off Jesse, you're so sweet.'_" Jesse mimicked in his girl voice, "You're welcome, Pandora. It _was_ nice of me, wasn't it?" Jesse narrowed his eyes in on Pandora and she blushed.

"Thanks, Sweeney."

"Eh, don't mention it, toots. Just make sure to put back a few for me." He winked, "and do me a favor: send Joy Ateara back in the garage when she gets here."

"Got it, boss." Pandora spoke up before she turned her seat to face the computer screen, typing the password in quickly before her eyes met with a screen covered in panda bears.

**-An Hour Later**-

The bell above the door rang and Pandora looked up to lock eyes with Joy Ateara. The Quileute woman had her son Quil with her and looked as if she were on the hunt.

"Is my exhaust pipe fixed?" Joy asked as she stepped forward, taking her wallet out of her purse.

"I'm not sure; but Sweeney said he wants to speak with you." Pandora stood and opened the door to the garage, directing Joy to enter the cold, cramped building. "He should be straight back working on the bike." Joy nodded and followed where Pandora had pointed to; Pandora shut the door slowly behind Joy.

"Hey," Quil spoke up when Pandora turned back around and sat in her chair.

"Hi." She replied shyly, giving him a small smile before turning back to the computer.

"You look a little too young to be working here," Quil told her honestly as he took the pen from the counter top and started to click it repeatedly. Pandora stared at the pen as he clicked it, waiting for him to stop the aggravating sound.

"I needed to help out around the house and my uncle works here. Sweeney was nice enough to offer me a job." Pandora looked back at the computer screen and typed in a few words for the description of a car part, Quil continuing to click the pen as she did so.

"I'm Quil, why haven't I seen you around before?" Quil went strong in clicking the pen, causing the corner of Pandora's eye to gain a twitch.

"I'm Pandora, and I tend to keep to myself." Pandora snatched the pen from Quil's hand, hiding it under the counter on her desk.

"Pandora Maynard?" Pandora's eyebrow rose as she looked at Quil.

"How did you-?"

"Pandora is a… unique name, I'm sure all of Forks and La Push knows it." Quil offered her a smile as she just hid in her hair, her face red from embarrassment. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, I like it."

"I'm not embarrassed about my name," Pandora muttered, tilting her head to the side so her hair would cover her face. "I don't like the fact that this entire area knows who I am." Quil shrugged as if it were nothing.

"At least people remember you because of your name and not because of your parents," Quil told her and watched as she blankly stared at him. Quil's words had hit a sore spot, though he didn't know, and it caused Pandora's lips to drop down into a frown.

"Yeah, at least not." Pandora muttered, taking a slip from a pile in a folder. "Get your mom to fill this out- excuse me." Pandora stood and rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Quil stared after her before looking down at the form, his eyes narrowing in on the words to see them more clearly. Sighing, he walked into the garage with a pen at hand.

Pandora sat in a ball on the bathroom floor, her knees pressed against her chest. Quil's words hit her hard, causing the wall she had built up to break. The population of Forks may not have brought up the subject of her parents, but one person reminded her of it every chance she could.

"_I can't believe my idiot of a brother knocked up that slut. She just had to go and die and now I'm stuck with _you_._" Her aunt's words haunted her, feeling as though she was hearing them all over again. "_You're scum; you look just like her. Why don't you go whore yourself around like she did?_"

A tear traveled down Pandora's face and she wiped it away with her sleeve. A light knock on the door caused Pandora to look up, her pink rimmed eyes watching as the doorknob started to wiggle.

"Eris?" Her uncle's voice sounded from the other side.

"I'm fine, just not feeling well." Pandora replied with her voice cracking as she did so. Once realizing that her voice gave it away, Pandora winced and reached up to turn on the cold water. "I'll be out in a second!" Pandora grabbed the sink and hoisted herself up.

The cold water splashing against Pandora's face caused the pink to vanish from her eyes. _Grin and bear it, Pandora. There's no use in crying over what has already happened. _She thought to herself as she filled her hands with cold water and sipped.

Pandora looked for a towel and looked down at her shirt, unbuttoning it to dry her face with the material. The undershirt she wore emphasized her cleavage, which she didn't like. But now that the shirt was wet, there was no use in putting it back on. Pandora sighed and pulled her hair back into a pony tail.

"Grin and bear it," she repeated to herself, putting on the fake smile that she had perfected over the years.

Pandora brushed her tongue across the top of her teeth and opened the bathroom door, revealing a grease-covered Ian. Ian's eyebrow rose as he stared down at his niece. Pandora tried to cover her sniffles caused by crying. Ian's straight face contorted to a frown when he realized what was wrong with Pandora.

"What did she say to you?" Ian growled out, wringing his hands together tightly. Despite Pandora's shyness, she never let anyone's words get to her. Theresa was the only person who could get into Pandora's skull and traumatize her. Ian knew of his sister's harsh words to Pandora and scolded Theresa on it many of times, but there was nothing he could say that would make her stop.

"She didn't…" Pandora closed her eyes and shook her head, "It was just a painful reminder. I'm a big girl, Ian."

"You don't have to be alone in this, Eris." Ian took the back of his niece's neck and kissed her forehead, inadvertently getting grease on her nose. "You're eventually going to have to let someone in."

"When that time comes I will let them know everything, but until then…" Pandora raised her arms and shrugged, hoping Ian got the message. Pandora then took the rag from Ian's shoulder and wiped off her nose.

As Pandora walked away, Ian shook his head and went back to the garage to work on his current project.

"She's a ticking time bomb waiting to go off." Jesse's voice sounded from behind Ian.

"That's what I'm worried about," Ian replied in a low mutter as he took a wrench from the toolbox.


	4. Chapter 3

"_If grass can grow through cement, love can find you at every time in your life."_

_~Cher_

"Why am I here?" Pandora whispered to Elaine.

"I asked you to come." Elaine whispered back, smiling at her friend victoriously.

The two had taken the fifteen minute ride to La Push from Forks, Elaine having forced Pandora into the car. They were walking through Billy Black's backyard, aiming for the circle formed around the fire.

Pandora felt something rising in the back of her throat. Elaine ignored her friend as she tugged Pandora's jacket, leading them further into the backyard. Pandora swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and attempted to contain her composure. When there were more than five people in a group, Pandora got nervous.

"Welcome, Elaine." Billy Black spoke as Elaine entered the circle. The small group that had already formed stared at the pale Pandora with disdain. Pandora could feel her heart sink and her face flush.

"I shouldn't be here," Pandora whispered to Elaine before she tried to leave. Elaine grabbed Pandora's wrist as the latter started to walk away. When Pandora turned to look at Elaine pleadingly, Elaine was already giving Pandora the saddest look she could muster up.

"I can't do this without you, Andy." Elaine was being sincere and Pandora knew that, causing her to clench her teeth on the inside of her bottom lip.

Pandora's eyes flicked across each face in the circle, landing on the one she knew to be Sam Uley. As if knowing that Pandora wanted his approval to stay, Sam gave her a slow nod. Pandora slid out of Elaine's grip and sat on an empty log, Elaine taking the seat right beside her.

Pandora looked to Elaine when she realized that a key individual was missing, "Where's Collin?" Elaine rolled her eyes and pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt further down her arms.

"I left the runt back at home." Elaine grumbled as she hugged herself, "Mom wanted me to bring him but she doesn't get that he's the most irritating kid on the planet." Pandora stifled a snort and lifted her knees to her chest.

"Your brother should be here, I shouldn't." Pandora whispered to Elaine.

"You're right about that." A voice two seats away from Elaine spoke, adding a low growl to the end. Pandora's eyes widened when she noticed Paul Lahote glaring at her.

"Cut it out, Paul." Elaine spoke out in an agitated tone. "What crawled up your ass and died?" Elaine's lip twitched and she glared at the fellow Quileute. Pandora felt out of place as everyone's eyes fell upon her and Elaine.

"I can't do this." Pandora mumbled before standing up and starting back to where Elaine had parked the car.

"See what you did, jackass!" Elaine hissed as she stood up before following behind Pandora. "Come on, Andy! I don't want to be here either; these legends are all bullshit! Just sit through it with me: five minutes – that's all I'm asking for!" Elaine called after Pandora.

Jacob Black's eyes moved over to Paul, "Did you really have to do that?" Jacob didn't seem too enthused about Paul's behavior, much like the others sitting in the circle. The only one who seemed to enjoy it was Jared Cameron, who couldn't contain the small smile on his face. Paul smirked in victory and received a disappointed look from Sam.

Pandora had, at some point, got lost in the array of trees that was La Push. Elaine was not far behind but couldn't see anything but the outline of trees. Pandora's eyes had started to glaze over from the feeling of being unwanted, making her glad that it was extremely dark outside. Something slammed into Pandora that would've forced her on her back, had it not been for the arm that reached out and caught her in time.

Pandora opened her eyes to see a bare chest staring back at her. Feeling her cheeks flush, Pandora pushed away from the body and looked down, their arm falling from her body.

"Am I that late?" The voice belonging to the body asked, "I thought I actually made it in time for the meeting."

Embry Call looked down to the girl standing in front of him, watching as she slowly looked up. Pandora seemed to avoid looking directly into his eyes and admired every other part of his face.

"You're not late," Pandora cleared her throat and blinked away the tears in her eyes. "I'm just leaving."

Pandora's eyes finally landed on Embry's and she could see his body tense. The glint of the moon caused Pandora's eyes to be more visible to Embry. Embry continued to watch Pandora, taking notice of her glazed eyes. Embry's face immediately turned downward into a frown.

"Why were you crying?" Embry asked, holding back from reaching his hand up and touching Pandora's face.

"I-I… I don't even know you." Pandora gasped out, unsure of what to make of the Quileute in front of her. Embry's heart felt like it had dropped down into his stomach due to Pandora's words. Pandora's tongue flicked out and ran across her dried lips, Embry's eyes following said tongue as it did so.

"There you are!" Elaine breathed heavily, finally coming across the two in the woods. "Just stay, please." Elaine begged while grabbing her friend's shoulders and looking at her with a pleading face.

"I'm not going back there," said Pandora in a low voice, thinking that Embry couldn't hear her.

"Paul's a jackass, you have just as much of a right to be there as I do." Elaine told Pandora sternly.

"No, I don-"

"_Yes_, you do." From the look Elaine was giving Pandora, Pandora could tell that Elaine knew something that she didn't.

"I don't want to be there." Pandora reworded, hoping that Elaine would drop the subject and lead her back to the car.

"Fine, let's leave." Elaine sighed exasperatedly, "At least I can tell dad that I tried." Elaine took Pandora's hand and started to lead them out of the trees.

"Wait!" Embry called after the two. Pandora turned back and made eye-contact with Embry while Elaine turned back confused, having not paid attention to the boy. "What's your name?"

Pandora hesitated before a feeling of comfort went through her body, "Pandora."

"I'm Embry." A grin spread across Embry's face before he asked the next question, "Will I ever see you again?"

"No," Pandora stated quickly while Elaine pulled her onto a different path, making them even further away from Embry.

Embry could feel a pang in his chest as he watched after the two, his improved vision allowing him to see them. He was just rejected by his soul mate… his imprint.

"_To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."_

_~Heather Cortez_


	5. Chapter 4

Pandora's arms circled around her body as she sat in the sand on the shore of First Beach. Water washed up and covered the tips of her toes, instantaneously causing a shiver to rise up her back and through her arms. Behind her a crowd had formed into a poorly shaped circle; teenagers circled around where someone was handing out beers from a cooler. Said teenager being the 'cool guy' for the night and thinking that he was on top of the world and every move would be unstoppable.

Elaine stood with a tiny group that had formed, all but one of the four choosing not to drink. Elaine glanced back to where Pandora was and frowned. Knowing that Pandora needed to blow off steam, Elaine put on a small smile and started laughing at what a fellow teenager had said.

The 'cool guy' was standing with a few guys who were known to be popular. Each one looked like the other and each one acted like the other. The 'cool guy,' otherwise known as Allan, was trying to impress the popular guys. They knew what he was trying to do and, being the jerks they were, set him up for disappointment.

"There's only one way that you can impress us," the blonde started before he sipped out of his red Solo cup.

The burly looking brunette held back a smirk, "Get with Sister Christian down there." His pudgy finger pointed to Pandora.

"Why would I do that?" Allan asked, cocking his eyebrow up in suspicion.

"None of us have the balls to try it," the pudgy one replied.

The blonde continued, "The quiet ones are always the freakiest."

Allan hesitated before he took a long gulp of his beer and started to walk to where Pandora was.

"I give him three minutes before she walks away," a ginger spoke up from beside the pudgy one.

"I give him six minutes until I rip his balls off." Elaine harshly spoke as she grabbed a Sprite from the cooler. "Your little friend pulls a move that I don't like and," Elaine made a slitting noise as she ran her finger across the front of her throat.

Pandora froze up when a big, boney hand gripped her shoulder. Pandora's attention went from the reflection of the moon on the water to the buzzed teenager standing with his hand on her. Allan gave Pandora a cocky smile and handed her a red cup.

"I don't drink," Pandora stated quietly as she wiggled out from his grip and moved further away.

Allan mumbled under his breath, "Fine then," and proceeded to drink out of the cup. To Pandora's displeasure, Allan plopped down on the sand beside her and sat extremely close to her.

Pandora remained silent and Allan looked extremely agitated. "You don't talk much, do you?" Allan asked, finally starting to see that the guys had set him up for failure.

"No," Pandora mumbled, her eyes set on the moon in the sky.

"Look, I'm trying to impress those guys back there." Pandora's eyes never left the moon as Allan spoke in a low tone. "Hook up with me once: that's all I'm asking for."

Pandora stood up and tried to get away from the pig, the sand slowing her down.

"You're not leaving until you give me an answer," Allan growled, grabbing her shoulder painfully.

"Don't touch me." Pandora hesitantly spoke, trying to escape his grip once more.

"One time, that's it." Allan stated again, causing Pandora's eyes to go wide.

"No," Pandora insisted while feeling his hand tighten on her shoulder. Allan was about to make a crude comment when someone grabbed the back of his throat in a tighter grip than he had on Pandora.

"I'm going to let you go and you're going to walk away as quickly as you can and not look back, got it?" Embry's voice sounded from behind Allan. Allan let go of Pandora's shoulder and meekly nodded. When Embry let go of Allan, Allan took off toward the party again.

Embry smiled down at Pandora whose lip slowly curled upward. "Thank you," she said quietly as she stared up into his brown eyes again.

"It's a good thing that I saw you again," Embry stated with a victorious smile.

Pandora's face flushed, "Maybe it is."

Elaine spotted the two talking and a smile formed on her lips, noting that Pandora looked genuinely happy. Seeing how Embry looked at her friend gave Elaine hope on introducing Pandora to the real world.

"I think it's time for a proper introduction." Pandora nodded and Embry took her hand, leading her away from the party and toward a large pile of rocks.

"W-where are you taking me?" Pandora asked as Embry let go of her hand and climbed onto a large rock.

"Do you really want to be around them?" Embry asked, referring to the group of nearly drunken teenagers. Pandora shook her head than looked down to her bare feet. Embry reached down and took Pandora's hand into his own, noticing how they fit together perfectly. "This will go quicker if I carry you."

Pandora reached the top of the rock and let go of Embry's hand, nearly falling as a result but Embry caught her and stood her upright.

"I don't want to be carried," Pandora insisted. "I can do this myself," she demanded, taking the lead.

"Even though you have no idea where we're going?" Embry pondered out loud.

Pandora blushed from embarrassment, "I'll figure it out." Embry smirked from behind Pandora and watched her attempt to climb the rocks.

When Pandora had finally reached the top of the rocks, she came across a small landing on the side of the cliff. Pandora turned around and came face-to-chest with Embry again, her face going even redder this time. Pandora backed up and sat on the grassy landing, looking down to the group of teenagers.

"I'm Embry Call," Embry spoke up before he sat next to Pandora and dangled his legs over the side of the cliff.

"Pandora Maynard." Embry knew the name before she had said it, knowing there was only one Pandora from Forks.

"Your mother was Evangeline Maynard…" Embry stated rather than asking, then proceeded to turn to look at Pandora. Pandora nodded and glanced over at Embry, wondering how he knew that. "Your mother lived on the Reservation." Pandora looked more shocked than anything else. Why was that the one thing that her aunt and uncle hid from her?

"That must be why my father left her when he found out that she was pregnant. She'd have been ridiculed and thrown out for having a white man's child." Pandora spoke quietly as she looked far out to the tops of the trees.

"I think it's more of you being conceived out of wedlock," Embry explained, causing Pandora to look back to Embry. "I don't know who my own father is and my mother is treated poorly because of it."

"Why are you sharing this with me?" Pandora wondered out loud and curled her legs up against her chest.

"To show you that you're not alone," Embry gave her a smile which Pandora tried to reciprocate, but failed in doing so.

"I don't think I can handle it sometimes," Pandora shared. "My aunt… she's not the nicest woman in the world. If it wasn't for my uncle Ian, I probably wouldn't be alive." Embry tensed up at the idea of his imprint being deceased. "I shouldn't be sharing this with you when I haven't even told Elaine," Pandora cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "Why do I feel so comfortable around you?"

Embry shrugged, not wanting to reveal his secret so soon. "Fate," Embry guessed. Pandora snorted and shook her head.

"Yeah, _fate_. I'm being tempted to reveal everything to a guy I barely know because of _fate_." Pandora harshly put down the idea. Pandora started to shiver and Embry moved closer, giving her the warmth that she needed. "There's something different about you, Embry Call."

Embry smiled, "You'll have to figure it out on your own, Panda." Pandora bit the inside of her cheek because of the nickname and looked away, pushing other thoughts into her head – like how dark it was outside.

"What time is it?" Pandora asked anxiously.

"A little after eleven, why?" Embry furrowed his eyebrows while Pandora quickly shot up.

"If I'm not home soon my aunt will shoot me." Pandora turned back to Embry who stood up and tilted his head to the side. "Thank you, Embry." Pandora gave him a genuine smile before leaving the landing and starting her trek down the many rocks.

* * *

><p><strong>To those of you who may be questioning where I'm at in this story – it's the transition between New Moon and Eclipse.<strong>

**A thank you to all of those who have added this story to their alerts and have reviewed. : ) I appreciate it!**


	6. Chapter 5

Pandora climbed through her open bedroom window in a hurry, hoping that no one would've noticed that she was gone for as long as she was. Sighing in relief, Pandora slid off her sand filled shoes and pulled off her jacket. Pandora's door creaked open and Ian stood against the doorway with an oil stain on his shirt, eating a bowl of macaroni.

"You smell like teenage boy," said Ian in a quiet voice. Ian took a fork full of macaroni and stuffed his mouth.

Pandora paled and turned to Ian with an innocent smile, "I was around other teenagers, some of which were male."

Ian shook his head, "But you smell _strongly _like Axe, as if you've been in close contact with a boy."

"Don't tell Aunt Theresa!" Pandora piped up. Afraid that Ian would tell Theresa, and Pandora would receive more verbal punishment, Pandora stuck out her bottom lip pleadingly.

"Who is he?" Ian asked as he watched his niece squirm.

"None of your concern, I doubt I'll ever see him again." Pandora muttered bitterly as she took her shirt off to reveal a gray undershirt. Ian shrugged and turned to leave Pandora behind.

"I won't tell Theresa that you were off gallivanting with some Native boy." Pandora's head shot up at Ian's words.

"How did you-?"

"You _are_ your father's daughter, after all." Ian smirked as Pandora's mouth dropped open. "Go to sleep, Eris." Ian shut the door behind him as he left and Pandora fell on top of her bed.

Pandora reached behind her and grabbed a pillow from the floor. Hugging the pillow to her chest, Pandora couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

'_God, please let me see him again.'_

_**The Next Day.**_

Pandora tapped her pencil against the hardwood desk in rhythm with the clock. Mrs. Oakley's seventh period History class bored Pandora deeply – the girl having absolutely no interest in the subject.

Not paying attention, Pandora's thoughts ran freely and kept returning to one similar subject: Embry Call. Whether it was his alluring brown eyes, his muscled body, or the fact that he had chosen to speak with her – she thought about it all. What confused her, however, was _why _he chose to speak to her. Pandora didn't believe she was anything special, so why take interest?

Pandora felt something hit her on the back of the head and turned to see Elaine giving her a knowing look.

"Thinking about Embry?" Elaine whispered while she tilted her lead pencil on the side of the desk.

Pandora nibbled at the inner corner of her cheek and turned back to Elaine, "Why would you ask that?"

Elaine rolled her eyes, "You meet a sexy guy who seems to be interested in you, and you expect me to think that you wouldn't be thinking about him?" Pandora couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

"Fine, so I was." Pandora whispered back and watched as Mrs. Oakley changed the slide on her PowerPoint. Pandora wrote down the lines from the projector and sat her pencil back down.

"You actually talked to him. You even walked _off _with him." Pandora could sense that Elaine had wiggled her eyebrows. "What was that about, Andy?"

"I felt comfortable with him," Pandora answered then hurriedly shut her lips when she noticed Mrs. Oakley staring at the two.

"How can the old bat even see us in this light?" Elaine wondered quietly, causing Pandora to shake with silent laughter.

Mrs. Oakley turned back to the slide on the projector and continued to speak loudly about the Prohibition. Elaine tapped Pandora's arm and once more and tilted her head to the side with a small grin.

"Want to go visit Jake?" Elaine asked, making sure to lower her voice enough to where Pandora could still hear here but no one else could.

"Jake?" Pandora's eyebrow rose.

"Jake, as in Jacob. Jacob Black? You know, my cousin." Elaine gave Pandora a look as if she was couldn't understand how Pandora wasn't keeping up.

"Why would we do that?"

"Embry is Jake's best friend," Elaine whispered tauntingly.

"You're not setting me up, Elaine!" Elaine merely winked and sat back in her seat with the eraser of her pencil in her mouth.

_**Sweeney's Garage**_

Elaine followed Pandora into Sweeney's Garage, despite Pandora's many protests. Jesse walked out of the garage and waved to the duo before grabbing a tool and entering the garage again. Pandora sat in her wheelie chair and turned on the desktop's tower.

"We're expecting a customer!" Jesse shouted from inside of the garage. "They're picking up spare parts – half price."

"Got it, boss." Pandora spoke back, only raising her voice slightly.

"Let me set you up," Elaine whispered with a grin on her face, leaning forward onto the counter. Pandora rolled her eyes and opened a pack of gum, offering a piece to Elaine. "I don't want any." Elaine shook her head and leaned back against the counter with her elbows bent. "Mrs. Pandora Call, it has a nice ring to it."

"Don't even go there, Elaine." Pandora muttered, knowing very well that her friend could hear her.

"Come on! The two of you would create such adorable little children!" Elaine sounded out as she twisted around to look at Pandora, having her words echo throughout the garage. The bell above the door rang loudly and Pandora froze with her face paler than usual. Elaine turned to see Jacob at the door, Embry not far behind.

"Elaine?"

Elaine turned back to Pandora who had her eyes narrowed, "Yeah?"

"I hate you," Pandora seethed. Pandora stood and took a piece of paper from the desk. Clearing her throat, Pandora avoided Embry's gaze and looked directly to Jacob, "You're here to pick up the parts?"

Jacob nodded and blurted out, "You work here?"

"That I do," Pandora answered with a small smile before she led the two back to the garage. "Where are the boxes, Sweeney?" Pandora asked as she ducked underneath a piece of metal and found the shelves filled with boxes.

"One up, three to the right." Sweeney grunted as he pushed out from underneath of the car.

"Got it," Pandora could just barely lift the box. Due to the weight, Pandora was close to dropping the box. Embry moved forward and took the box from Pandora, giving her a small smile as he did so. "Thanks," Pandora nodded and left the garage with them in tow.

"Alright, how much is it?" Elaine clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and stood to read the side of the box. "Four-hundred dollars for car parts?" Elaine sounded astounded by the idea and whistled at the cost.

"Half price," Pandora turned back to face Jacob. "It's only two-hundred."

Jacob shrugged and pulled out the worn wallet from his back pocket. "That's not too bad," Jacob stated as he pulled a small wad of cash out of the wallet. Jacob handed Pandora one fifty, five twenties, two tens, and six fives. Pandora could tell that Jacob had been raising this money up for a while from the appearance of the bills.

Elaine walked behind the counter as Pandora counted through the bills; Elaine took the opportunity to print off the receipt and hand it over to Jacob.

"I'm starting to feel like you're stalking me," Pandora stated as she looked up to Embry, having counted up all of the money.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Elaine mumbled from behind the desk, causing a grin to spread on Embry's face.

"And if I am?" Embry asked, moving his arms to the sides of the box.

"There's a Phillips head screwdriver behind that counter that I've been trained to defend myself with." Pandora countered as she crossed her arms and stared blankly at the boy. "Do you really want to take that chance?"

"I think I do," Embry's lip curled upward before he winked at Pandora and started for the door. Pandora felt a pang in her chest as she watched Embry leave. The pain felt like there was something missing which worried Pandora to no end. What scared Pandora the most was how the missing piece felt whole when Embry was around…

"_Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."_

_-Emily Brontë_


	7. Chapter 6

Pandora's eyes lingered along the walls of her fourth period Art class. Pandora's teacher, Ms. Wendell, had traveled to Hawaii over the summer and was displaying plenty of the photographs she had taken. Pandora started to feel jealous at the thought of leaving the retched area she was stuck in.

The odd bird sounding bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. Pandora took her seat near the back of the room and dropped her bag on the desk. The shy boy that Pandora shared a desk with gave her a miniscule smile, which she politely returned.

"I know that many of you don't like hearing this, but it is project time!" Ms. Wendell announced to the class. Many of the students groaned in protest while Pandora merely rolled her eyes at their lack of enthusiasm. The boy beside Pandora, Christian, raised his hand. "Yes, Christian?"

"What will the project be on?" Christian asked in a low voice, causing Ms. Wendell to grin at him.

"I was just getting to that!" Ms. Wendell slapped her hands together happily. "Each of you is going to be photographing the world around you." Ms. Wendell passed out sheets of paper that described what the students were going to do.

Pandora felt her heart drop into her stomach, realizing that this project would be harder for her to do since she had no access to a camera. Ms. Wendell noticed Pandora's small frown.

"I know that some of you cannot afford a camera, so I advise you to find someone who does. If you cannot find anyone, I'm sure I can loan you one." Ms. Wendell gave Pandora a small smile, which was quickly returned. "I want all of you to show the class how you see the world. Give us a view of your everyday life!"

Inhaling sharply, Pandora realized that her photos wouldn't be that interesting. Her everyday life was boring: home, school, and the garage. Pandora glanced down at the paper she had been given.

_50 Points_

_Requirements:_

_-Shots must be taken in more than 4 different venues._

_-At least 20 shots taken._

_-Choose and mark your 5 best shots._

_-The 5 images should be printed and presented to the class; the remaining images will need to be emailed to me within 2 days after the presentation date._

_*Images must be your own or you will receive a failing grade._

"Easy enough," Pandora mumbled to herself. Christian glanced over at Pandora and cleared his throat.

"I heard about the party at First Beach," Christian started, causing Pandora to stare at him confused. "Allan told me about what happened."

Pandora nodded while she pulled out a highlighter, "Did he mention what he tried to do?" Pandora never once looked up from her paper as she highlighted certain words.

"Allan is a jerk. He explained what happened, but knowing him – he twisted what really happened. I know my brother better than anyone else at this school does." Christian sighed, "I'm sorry about him."

"You don't have to apologize for him. I'm just glad that…" Pandora looked up at Christian and bit her lips together, not wanting to finish.

"You're glad that the buff Native boy showed up and threatened him?" Christian asked with his eyebrow raised. Pandora started smiling because of the joking look on Christian's face. "I would be happy about that too if I were you."

Pandora gave Christian a smile that showed pity, "Have you told your family yet?"

"That I'm gay?" Christian looked down at Pandora, watching as she slowly nodded in response. "No."

"They're your family, Christian. They'll accept you for who you are."

"You obviously don't know Allan." Christian sighed and Pandora placed her hand on his shoulder. "You and Elaine are the only ones that actually know."

Pandora normally never talked to guys – Christian was the only exception for her, seeing as he dated Elaine back in ninth grade. Elaine knew from the start of the relationship that Christian wasn't into her. When she had confronted Christian about it, he revealed the truth to her. Being Elaine, she couldn't resist telling Pandora – due to their close friendship. Christian and Pandora never really got too close until the current academic year, thanks to Art class.

"It's your choice; I'm not going to pressure you… unlike Elaine." Pandora explained to Christian as she put her piece of paper into the binder that sat in her bag. "She seems to be pressuring the both of us as of recent."

"Back to the buff Native boy?" Christian asked while smirking at Pandora.

"Yes, back to the buff Native boy."

::

"Can I use your camera?" Pandora asked as she sat down across from Elaine, a lunch tray separating the two. Elaine looked up to Pandora with a chicken tender hanging out of her mouth.

"Why?" Elaine asked with her mouth full, Pandora grinning in response rather than looking away in disgust.

"Art project: I have to take pictures of my everyday 'life'." Pandora stabbed at her salad with a fork. Elaine smirked and swallowed her food before reaching into her bag and pulling out a bulky name brand camera.

"Don't break it," warned Elaine before she went back to her chicken tenders. "Though… if I were you, I would be asking Embry out to the forest. You could take pictures of him and get an A+ the second your teacher sees the shots."

Pandora blushed, "You scare me sometimes, Elaine." Elaine shrugged in response and smiled.

"All I'm saying is that you have his attention," Elaine sat her fork down and looked up at Pandora. "Make a move before someone else does." Elaine nudged her head in the direction of the group of popular girls. "Every girl that lives in Forks knows about them and fantasizes about them. You have your shot… take it."

Pandora groaned and leaned forward against the table, "You're an enabler."

Elaine froze when she noticed the group of teenagers staring at her. Elaine's eyes drifted over to Pandora and she gulped, leaning forward to whisper to her clueless friend.

"_We're being watched_." Elaine whispered to Pandora. Pandora slowly turned her head to see the Cullens, specifically Alice Cullen, staring intently at her and Elaine.

"That's a first," Pandora muttered before she split a crouton in half with her plastic fork.

"According to mom, the tribe has had a grudge against the Cullen family ever since they moved here."

"Why?" Pandora asked with her eyebrows forcefully pushed together in confusion.

Elaine shrugged, "Mom doesn't know."

Pandora turned back to look at the Cullens and suddenly grew cold, seeing Alice's nose scrunch up in disgust before quickly turning away. Pandora's eyebrows nearly combined into one from her forcing them together in confusion. Straining her ears to listen to the conversation, Pandora could've sworn she heard the words "stinks" and "mutt".

"Do I stink?" Pandora suddenly asked, lifting her sleeve to smell the t-shirt. All Pandora could sense was the smell of Embry's cologne from the party at First Beach.

"Not as far as I can tell. You showered today, right?" Elaine leaned forward and inhaled, scrunching her nose up to do so.

"Yeah, this shirt hasn't been washed though. I was trying to hide it from Theresa and forgot to wash it. Could that be it?" Pandora wondered while Elaine just shrugged and went back to her food. Pandora shook her head and sighed, starting to think about what to take pictures of for her project.

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for the wait! The next chapter should be up within the next day or so! : )<strong>


	8. Chapter 7

Inhaling sharply, Pandora handed Ms. Wendell some of the pictures she had recently printed off in the school's computer room. The first picture was of Pandora's workplace, mainly her receptionist's desk. The second was a photo of Ian's car, Morty, with Ian giving the camera a thumbs up from the hood of the car. As Ms. Wendell flipped through the pictures she had a straight look on her face, Pandora recognized the look as boredom.

"I'm not going to flat-out say that these pictures are bad but," Ms. Wendell looked at Pandora and saw the eager look on her face, waiting for the verdict. "These pictures need work."

Pandora nodded, completely understanding where her teacher was coming from. "I'm an extremely boring person," Pandora enlightened her teacher before swallowing the spit that was building up in her throat.

"It's not that, Pandora. I honestly don't feel like you're trying hard enough." Ms. Wendell pulled out a blank piece of lined paper and wrote down a few words. Pandora glanced over the top of the sheet before looking away, not wanting to feel like she was intruding. "Use this as a guide to help you take pictures that mean something."

Glancing down at the list, Pandora exhaled the breath that she had been holding in. Ms. Wendell had written down some things that Pandora wasn't so sure of.

_1. A picture of your favorite place to be._

_2. A picture of something you find beautiful._

_3. A picture of someone who means a lot to you._

_4. A picture of somewhere local._

_5. A miscellaneous picture._

"Thanks, Ms. Wendell." Pandora gave her teacher a fake smile before leaving with her bad pictures and guide. How was the guide supposed to help any?

::

The flash of the camera frightened the birds out of the trees, causing Pandora to groan loudly. Every time she would find a new animal to take a picture of the flash would scare them off. Pandora laid the camera against her chest, allowing the strap around her neck to pull down, and searched the area for something to take a picture of.

Pandora wasn't going to let this trip be a bust. She had taken fifteen minutes out of her way to drive to La Push to take pictures of the forest. A twig snapped behind Pandora and she froze, her body tensing up in fear. A bunch of thoughts came to mind – imagining that it was a bear that was going to attack her, an attacker that was going to rape her and steal her $10 that was for gas, or an escaped convict.

"What are you doing out here?" Embry's voice echoed through the trees. Pandora's shoulders relaxed and she turned to see Embry looking at her skeptically.

Embry was going for a run when he heard distinct sound of a flash from a camera. After following the sound, he luckily came across Pandora. Once Embry noticed her look of anger and frustration, he felt like he had to talk to her.

Pandora easily noticed that Embry was shirtless and covered in either water or sweat – unsure of which, all she knew was that his hair was moist and he was glistening. Nearly swallowing her tongue, Pandora avoided looking at Embry and stared at the scenery.

"Art project," Pandora answered while Embry walked up behind her. "But these birds won't stay still."

Embry laughed and put his hands on top of Pandora's, pressing a button on the camera that Pandora didn't recognize. "Try it now," Embry pointed up to a flock of birds sitting atop a tree branch.

Pandora lifted the camera and snapped the shot, the flash having seemed to disappear completely. Pandora stared down at the picture and smiled, "How did you do that?"

"I turned the flash off." Embry responded before shrugging and taking the camera from around her neck.

"No! Don't break it!" Pandora instantly became worried, fearing the worst would happen to the camera.

Embry gave Pandora one of his signature grins and lifted the camera to eyelevel, zooming in on Pandora's face. "Smile." Embry made a 'tsk' noise as Pandora forced a fake smile on her face. "Smile and actually mean it." Embry looked above the camera and down at Pandora, who gave him a sincere smile – her eyes locked on his. Pandora started to see spots as the flash on the camera went off.

Pandora let out a laugh as she covered her eyes with her hands, rubbing the spots away. "Why did you do that?"

"I felt like your class needed to see the same person that I do." Embry turned the camera to show Pandora the picture he had taken. There was a goofy smile on Pandora's face as her eyes went above the camera, showing that she was staring at the person behind it. "Beautiful," Embry's blunt statement caused Pandora's face to redden.

"My turn," Pandora took the camera from Embry's fingers, feeling a spark as they touched, and turned the camera onto him. "Give me your best award-winning smile!" Embry smiled with his lips closed, causing Pandora to scoff. "Teeth!" Embry let out a laugh and looked away from the camera and down at the ground. Before Embry could look back at the camera, Pandora had already snapped the shot.

"Delete that!" Embry demanded with a joking grin on his face.

"Not happening," Pandora laughed loudly and took off with Embry chasing her through the trees. "I need this picture for my class!" Pandora squealed as Embry started to catch up with her.

Pandora's flats met the sand of First Beach, her shoes flooding with sand and weighing her down. Embry ran up behind Pandora and lifted her in the air out of her shoes. The camera dropped safely into the sand and Embry collapsed in the sand with Pandora sprawled out beside him. The sun was nearing sunset, though it was still midway up in the sky, and Pandora gasped at the sight. Reaching across Embry, Pandora took the camera and snapped a shot of the water.

"Absolutely gorgeous," Pandora spoke to herself out loud as she stared at the picture she took.

"Yeah…" Embry stared at Pandora who was too intent on looking at the picture. "Gorgeous," Pandora's body tensed when Embry pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Pandora looked over to Embry, who was admiring her, and gulped. Elaine told her to take a chance, what was the worst that could happen? Pandora sat the camera in her lap and turned to Embry.

"I want you to kiss me," Pandora blurted out.

"What?" Embry asked, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"I want you to _kiss me_." Pandora repeated, putting emphasis on the words 'kiss me.'

Without any hesitation, Embry caught Pandora's lips with his own. Pandora's hand made its way into Embry's hair while he pulled her closer. Fireworks slowly started going off in her head, feeling completely blissful. Pandora's hands started to shake as she tasted a mix of cinnamon and firewood – two of her favorite things.

All too soon, Pandora pulled away from Embry and glanced up at him. "Why do you have this effect on me?" Pandora whispered, "You're driving me wild, Embry Call."

"The feeling is mutual, Pandora Maynard." Embry's lips slowly pressed against Pandora's jaw. "I'm willing to deal with it if you are."

Pandora smacked her lips together and looked at Embry through half closed eyelids, "What the hell?" Pandora pushed forward and slammed her lips against his once more.

_Thank you, Elaine._


	9. Chapter 8

Pandora stepped out of Morty with her flat light blue sandals and Elaine's camera in hand. Water started to drip onto the pavement as her bare feet carried her through the yard. Pandora was soaked with water from First Beach; her hair started to curl from the salt water as it dried. Wincing as the stairs creaked, Pandora made it up to the house and slowly opened the door.

"Where were you?" Theresa's voice caused Pandora's movements to become frozen. Pandora gulped and turned to look at Theresa, whom was giving her a look of disdain.

"I was taking pictures for my Art project at First Beach," Pandora explained as she held a tighter grip on the strap of the camera. Theresa gave a 'humph' sound and turned the TV's volume back up. Pandora let out a relieved sigh and practically sprinted up the stairs to her room.

Without any hesitation, Pandora locked the door and stripped her shirt from her body. She easily found a hooded sweatshirt to take the shirt's place upon her body and let the cloth consume her. Pandora pulled her shorts off and changed into a pair of thin yoga pants. Staring down at the camera, Pandora first pulled her hair back into a messy bun before picking the small object up.

After spending the day with Embry, she knew that there would be pictures on there that her aunt could never see. Seeing a shirtless boy around Pandora would cause Theresa to have a fit and break something, most likely an object that belongs to Pandora. A black sharpie caught Pandora's eye and she pulled out the Art project list, dropped the camera to her lap, and crossed off two lines.

Pandora couldn't help herself as she curled up further into her hoodie with the back of the sharpie between her teeth. A smile spread across her face before she pulled her legs up and glanced down at the camera, the picture of Embry staring back at her.

::

"_You kissed him_!" Elaine belted out as she stared at Pandora in shock. Elaine's fork had been left lying aside forgotten as her mouth dropped open.

"Yes, now keep your mouth shut," Pandora hissed as she backhanded Elaine's shoulder. "The entire school doesn't need to know."

"Yes, yes they do!" Elaine went to stand up but Pandora grabbed her hand and harshly yanked her back down. "Come on, Andy! This is a big moment in your life!"

"I don't care how big of a moment this is, I'm not letting you reveal my love life to the entire school."

Sniffling, Elaine looked like she was about to cry, "You admitted that you have a love life!" Elaine threw her arms around Pandora and squeezed, taking every last breath out of her friend. "I'm so proud!"

"Inside voice, Elaine!" With each word Pandora's voice rose and she was near the point of shouting, her face burning crimson. The cafeteria suddenly went silent and Pandora could feel all of their eyes on her. "This is awkward," Pandora muttered as she looked back down, pushed away from Elaine, and stabbed at the spaghetti noodles on her lunch tray.

"What changed your mind about Embry?" Elaine asked while she put her spoon into a cup of vanilla pudding. Pandora pulled out Elaine's camera from her bag and flipped through the shots. The plastic spoon nearly met Elaine's mouth when Pandora showed her the picture. Elaine's eyes widened and she took the spoonful in her mouth before taking the camera from Pandora.

"I was just as shocked as you are…" Pandora drifted off as Elaine stared at the picture more intently.

"H-He… I've never seen you smile like this," Elaine pointed down to the picture that Embry had taken the previous night. "How did he- What- I can't even comprehend this…" Elaine spoke quickly before handing the camera back to Pandora.

"He's the only person that makes me like this." Pandora shrugged and turned to Elaine with a grin on her face, "Giving him a chance isn't stupid, right?" She nervously bit her lip, fearing that her friend would tell her what she didn't want to hear.

"Giving him a chance is about as stupid as a teenage girl finding her true love." Pandora frowned at Elaine's words and watched as Elaine started to smirk, "Which is all the more reason to do it." Elaine pulled her cellphone out from her front pocket and pressed number 7 on speed dial.

"Who are you calling?" Pandora's eyebrow rose at the sudden randomness. Elaine lifted her finger to the front of her lips motioning for Pandora to keep quiet.

"Jake, hey!" Elaine stated ecstatically. Pandora could hear a muffled sound from the phone. "I assume you know of the situation with my friend Pandora and your boy Embry... You do? Good. Tell Embry to stop by my house at eight tomorrow night; he and Andy are going on a date." Pandora's face turned red and Elaine started to grin out of amusement. "Thanks Jake." Elaine hit the end key and gave her a friend a genuine smile, "I'll talk to Sweeney; you're taking tomorrow night off and coming over to my house to get ready for your _date_."

"Elaine…" Pandora drifted off and looked up to her friend with a shy look.

"Yes?" The lone water bottle on the table was swiped by Elaine before she took a large gulp.

"Thank you."

Elaine winked, "Anything for you, my dear."

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for the long wait! But I'm finally done with school for the summer and should be updating more often. I promise to update, at the <em>least, <em>once every two weeks - though it will most likely be more often than that.**

**I also realize that this chapter is somewhat short, but the next will definitely be longer!  
><strong>


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